Overview
Guatemala Cafe is a plantation-building game where players cultivate coffee plantations, hire workers, and ship coffee from the harbor to score victory points. Players take turns moving a shared Buyer figure around a production area board to purchase pieces (sheds, workers, ships, roads) that they place on a shared plantation board. The player with the most victory points at the end wins.
Components
- 20 ownership tiles (5 per player color)
- 4 victory point indicators
- 1 Buyer figure (grey)
- 50 roads (grey)
- 35 coffee sacks (beige) with 35 labels (7 per coffee type, 5 types)
- 45 coins (1, 3, and 5 centavos)
- 45 female workers (9 per coffee type)
- 15 storage sheds (3 per coffee type)
- 15 ships (3 per coffee type)
- 1 production area board (two-sided: pre-determined/random setup)
- 1 plantation board (two-sided: 3-4 players / 2 players)
- 4 small cards for 3-player game building site covers
Setup
- Label each coffee sack before first game (7 per type).
- Place both gameboards side by side. Choose random or predetermined production area side; use correct plantation side for player count.
- For 3-player game, cover the left path building sites with small cards.
- Each player gets 5 ownership tiles and 15 centavos.
- Place VP indicators on the zero field.
- Set up production area board with coffee sacks, workers, sheds, and ships.
- Remaining 29 coffee sacks: 1 on final marked space, 5 into bag unseen, rest divided equally among players (hidden).
- Determine starting player; right-hand neighbor places Buyer on the perimeter track.
Turn Structure
On your turn:
- Move the Buyer 1-3 spaces clockwise on the perimeter track (pay 2 centavos to move 4 spaces).
- Choose one action:
- Buy pieces from the Buyer’s current row and place them on the plantation board, OR
- Replenish money and score VP for coffee types already grown
Actions
Building Plantations
Buy 1-3 pieces (sheds, workers, ships, or roads) from the Buyer’s current row. Pay immediately.
Costs (3-4 player game):
| Area |
Shed Cost |
Worker Cost |
| Grey |
2 centavos |
1 centavo |
| Green |
4 centavos |
2 centavos |
| Yellow |
6 centavos |
3 centavos |
Ship costs: Depend on cheapest unoccupied dock (first: 2, second: 3, third: 4 centavos). Max 3 ships per harbor.
Roads: Always free.
Plantation Placement Rules
- Storage Sheds: Place on appropriate building sites; mark ownership with your tile underneath.
- Workers: Must connect horizontally or vertically to a shed of the same coffee type. Extend your plantation.
- Ships: Place in harbors; cheapest dock fills first.
- Roads: Connect plantation sections; always free.
- You may only grow each coffee type once (one plantation per type).
- Each plantation needs at least 1 shed and 1 worker of the same color.
Replenishing Money & Scoring
Instead of buying, you may:
- Take money from the stock based on the number of sacks on the production area board.
- Score VP for coffee types you have grown (based on your plantation size and ships).
Selling Coffee
When you sell, compare your plantation’s worker count to the coffee sack requirements. Score VP based on the number of workers connected to your shed and whether you have ships to export.
Scoring / Victory Conditions
The game ends when a player’s VP marker reaches the final coffee sack space on the victory point track.
VP sources:
- Selling coffee (based on plantation size and ships)
- Bonus VP for completing certain configurations
- Coffee types with more workers and ships score higher
The player with the highest VP wins.
Special Rules & Edge Cases
- Players cannot lend or give centavos to each other.
- You must pay for pieces immediately upon purchase; you cannot store unpaid pieces.
- Each coffee type can only be grown once per player.
- Coffee sacks hidden in your hand are kept secret from other players.
- The Buyer can be moved without purchasing anything on your turn if needed.
- 2-player variant: Different plantation board side; only 1 harbor with 6 docks; shed prices differ.
- 3-player variant: Left path building sites are covered and unavailable.
- Predetermined setup vs. random setup: One side of the production board offers less luck, the other more variety.
Player Reference
Turn: Move Buyer 1-3 spaces (or 4 for 2 centavos) > Buy pieces OR Replenish money/score
5 Coffee types: Each has 9 workers, 3 sheds, 3 ships
Starting money: 15 centavos
Key rule: Each coffee type grown only once per player
Game end: VP marker reaches the end of the track